Mercedes has been found in breach of Formula 1‘s curfew regulations ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, although the team will not face any sporting penalty after the infringement was classified as one of its permitted exemptions for the 2026 season.

The FIA confirmed that Mercedes personnel were present within designated operational areas during restricted overnight hours on Friday, violating the championship’s curfew rules designed to prevent teams from gaining a competitive advantage through extended work on their cars. As this was Mercedes’ first of four permitted curfew exemptions this season, no further action was taken. Audi was also found to have breached the curfew, using its second permitted exemption.

The announcement came shortly after George Russell secured pole position for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. The Mercedes driver delivered a stunning final lap to edge Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in a dramatic qualifying session that ended with Max Verstappen crashing at Turn 9.

Russell’s pole position briefly came under scrutiny because his fastest lap was set while yellow flags were being displayed following Verstappen’s accident. After reviewing telemetry and video footage, FIA stewards concluded that Russell had sufficiently reduced his speed under the single yellow flag, allowing his pole lap to stand without further investigation.

Russell will start Sunday’s race ahead of Leclerc and Hamilton, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth. Verstappen will line up fifth after his late crash prevented him from improving on his earlier lap.

The Austrian Grand Prix presents an important opportunity for Russell to reduce the gap to championship leader Antonelli, while Mercedes will hope its qualifying pace can be converted into another race victory despite the off-track curfew infringement.